Videogame design is different from videogame development. Design is all about what makes a game fun; development is about what makes a game possible.
If you were making a videogame, and you wanted to pitch it to someone, you probably wouldn't start by saying "It has this great 3D particle physics engine!" because that doesn't tell them anything about the game itself. What makes a videogame special is the ideas in it that make the game fun. This site is dedicated to ideas.
Naturally, we at the forum believe that videogame design belongs to everyone. You don't need to be a programmer, you don't need to be an artist, you don't need to be a math genius, you don't need to be a great writer. As long as you want to know why a videogame is fun, you belong here too.
(And when we say videogame design belongs to everyone, it means that you, too, can write for the forum!)
We look at new games that come out, and see what the key ideas are in them. That's First Impressions. We also look at classic games, and see what key fun ideas make them classic. That's Enduring Impressions.
We ask game designers and game players to write longer works on how game design ideas work in games. Those are in Features.
We have the Forums, where we discuss ideas in game design, swap design ideas, and talk generally talk about the gaming industry. There's also a space there to share game design ideas there.
Looking for a place where ideas from Features and Reviews are explored in-depth? That's in Going Deeper.
And finally there's our Dictionary of Game Design Ideas. Have a look, it's updated all the time!
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